What is the best system of government?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: What is the best system of government?
Position1 of 3›: Democracy
Argument‹2 of 2: Human Rights

Human rights are one of the most debated topics in the world. There are governments that contravene citizens' human rights in the past. But in democracies, civilians are treated differently.

The argument

A main characteristic of a democracy is equal human rights. The law is geared to allow people to have fair trials and all-around equality to owning property and their way of life. Countries that don’t have basic human rights in their country have a 30%-40% greater chance of breaking out into civil war. Since democracies value all human rights, it is the best form of government a civilian could have.

Premises

[P1]Democracies are characterized by equal human rights, including fair trials and protections for property and way of life. [P2] Countries lacking basic human rights are 30–40% more likely to descend into civil war, showing that protecting rights is essential to stability. [C] Therefore, because democracy uniquely secures human rights, it is the best system of government for citizens.

Counter-arguments

Democracy does not guarantee human rights. Between the late 6th century and 5th century BC, Athens came up with a democratic government that claimed to emphasize human rights. However, minorities couldn’t vote. The same thing happened in America’s past with African Americans. Even after African American slaves were released, they were treated horribly within society and were not able to vote.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Not all democracies value human rights. Only human rights apply to citizens. In history, slaves, foreigners, and minorities weren’t treated equally.